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Freelance Footwear Designer, Developer, & Consultant
Shelby Township, MI
May 2015 - Present (8 years 11 months)
• Design consultant and product developer for CW footwear, Inc. & Zumba.
• Conceptualize, sketch, cad, and create fashion athletic footwear for client.
• Responsible for merchandising line plans and provide trend analysis.
• Work closely with the client, sales, development to ensure quality product at the best margins for costing.
Accomplishments Include:
• Designed the entire Zumba footwear lines for Spring 17’, Spring/Fall 18', & Spring/Fall 19', & Spring/Fall 20'.
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Digital Sculptor
Jun 2018 - Dec 2018 (6 months)
• Contract entry level digital sculptor worked at general motors tech center utilizing Autodesk Alias to build component models and class-a surfacing.
• Started in advanced design learning class-a digital surface for autonomous vehicles building to mesh models from scanned full scale clay models.
• Worked in components building 3D models based on sketches and provided GM engineering criteria.
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Footwear Developer
Aug 2011 - Mar 2015 (3 years 7 months)
• Managed Under Armour, Zumba, Skechers, accounts at various distribution channels from initial development through commercialization into production stages.
• Supervised internal design and overseas development teams ensuring projects followed brand direction, reached cost and margin targets, and met brand and quality standard through engineering
and testing for best fit.
• Confirmed lasts, blue prints, tooling molds, shell patterns, and duty sheets to ensure design aesthetics are maintained and achievable for production.
• Managed seasonal development of leather and non-leather materials for seasonal projects, attending material shows, and developing material library.
• Maintained project management relating to development and commercialization calendars hitting all projected timelines, cost and margin targets.
• Ability to redesign projects on the fly while in the factories to enhance aesthetics & functionality to help the design teams when necessary for timing purposes.
• Worked on CBDs and helped with price negotiations regarding project pricing.
• Inputed all PLM data necessary regarding client orders & tracking information.
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Senior Footwear Designer & Developer
New York, NY
Sep 2008 - Aug 2011 (2 years 11 months)
• Sole athletic designer of a new athletic team helping grow the athletic footwear division to a $40 million dollar business for a dress shoe company during the first 2 years of employment then managing the athletic design team as we expanded.
• Lead athletic designer managing Skechers, Zumba, Coach, Kohls, Payless, Sears, Walmart accounts.
• Worked directly with clients, developing trend reports, conceptualizing, designing & building a cohesive line, monitoring progression of all aspects of development, built & overseen all tech packages, managing multiple clients & projects simultaneously.
• Created multiple patented technologies at retail.
Accomplishments Include:
• 2008/09 athletic designs brought in over $5 million.
• 2009/10 athletic designs brought in over $30 million.
• Designed Coach athletic line with 5 shoes retailing over 600K orders & the #1 selling Coach shoe.
• Designed 6+ private label footwear products with 1 million+ pairs orders for each.
• Created & patented midsole technology for fitness shoes at retail.
• 5 Zumba footwear styles launched at retail with over 200K orders the 1st season.
• Created a patented split sole arch support & slide outsole technology to enhance the dance experience in Zumba footwear.
• Designed/developed key price point Under Armour kids’ running shoes.
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Senior Footwear Designer & Developer
Los Angeles, CA
Dec 2003 - Feb 2008 (4 years 2 months)
• Conducted brainstorming sessions with product management, sales staff, and buyers to discover new opportunities in the market.
• Presented market research reports, line built, conceptually designed, monitored development progress, created tech packages, managed multiple projects concurrently, and met rigorous deadlines.
• Built various women's athletic product divisions and licensing lines such as Diadora, Penguin, Champion, C-9, Starter, L.A. Gear, Athletech, Athletic Works.
• Traveled to Asia to visit factories and work with developers on products.
Accomplishments Include:
• Developed the women’s Diadora line at a mid-tier price point.
• Launched Women’s line in Fall 2008 marketed to stores such as Journey’s, Underground Station, Foot Locker, Finish Line, and Famous Footwear.
• Designed & developed the entire LA Gear women’s athletic line for Spring/Fall 2005 through 2008.
• 47+ shoes went to retail with more than million pair ordered.
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Footwear Designer & Developer
Manhattan Beach, CA
Jul 2001 - Dec 2003 (2 years 5 months)
• Designed men's, women's, and kid's footwear products in a high-paced work environment working on various product divisions and licensing lines such as Skechers USA, Michelle K, Marc Ecko, Men's Collection, Men's USA.
• Assisted overseas manufactures, developers, suppliers, visited factories in Asia, distribution centers in the U.S., and sold product in concept stores.
• Monitored progress of development, created tech packages, directed multiple projects simultaneously, met stringent deadlines.
Accomplishments Include:
• 9 shoes went to retail with over 400,000 orders.
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Toy Designer, Modeler, Project Lead
Solutions Toy Innovation Inc.
Torrance, CA
Apr 1998 - Jul 2001 (3 years 3 months)
• Developed viable design solutions for new products by brainstorming new market niches for new ways to utilize proprietary technologies.
• Used product ideation and presentation drawings to create interest.
• Provided exploded views, and technical drawings for costing, patent, and engineering reference.
• Created working prototypes for development and manufacturing.
• Collaborated with team members from the marketing, sales, engineering, operations and quality assurance departments of clients to bring products to market.
Accomplishments Include:
• 18 products went to market.
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Designer/Modelmaker
BNS Furniture Design-Newport
Newport Beach, CA
Sep 1997 - Apr 1998 (7 months)
• Provided full-scale control drawings for furniture construction and manufacturing.
• Creating working drawings of internal structural "Furniture Frames" and prototypes.
• Producing cost effective structural design elements for mass-production furniture applications, and ability to produce full scale or scaled prototypes.